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"For chaos. One, two, three, and--"
"Kate! Kate's here, Kate's here!"
Two screaming little girls came tearing across the lawn at high speed. The older one wore white patent leather shoes and a long pink dress, and her inky dark hair was coiled in ringlets. The younger one trailed behind, ribbons half cocked and twisted at odd angles on her head, dress torn and muddy, and barefoot. Kate knelt down and caught both of them and they tumbled back laughing.
"Hi, girls! Do you remember my friend, Kennedy?"
The girls looked up and gave her big grins. Ken remembered Alexa's daughters well. The older one, Lily, was quite the sophisticate, and the younger one was all free spirit. Maria pointed. "Like Barbie's Ken! But you're a girl."
Lily huffed. "Maria, her full name is Kennedy. I think it's a beautiful name." The little girl's gaze roved over Kennedy's citrine sheath dress, shiny jewelry, and four-inch matching sandals. "And I love your outfit!"
"Thanks, honey. I love yours too."
"Where's your aunt and mom, girls?"
"On the deck. Kate, I'm gonna be a flower girl for Aunt Gen! And I get to hold a basket and drop flowers all over the church!" Maria burst out.
"Just on the aisle," Lily corrected.
"Did you bring us presents, Kate?"
"Maria, that's rude!" Lily admonished.
Kate tugged on a wayward lock stuck around a ribbon. "I did. If you can find Slade, and give him a big hug and kiss, I bet he'll give them to you."
"Yay!" Maria tore off across the lawn.
Lily sighed. "Thank you, Kate."
"You're welcome, my sweets. Now go get him and we'll find your mom." Lily took off.
"Mom's right here."
Kennedy took in the dark-haired, curvy woman before her and smiled. Alexa was Gen's older sister and one of the sweetest, kindest people she'd ever met. Whenever she tagged along with Kate and Gen, she was treated like family. They all hugged.
"Where's Slade?" Alexa asked.
"Running after the crab cakes. I cannot believe this place; it's incredible. You did an amazing job."
Alexa settled her hands on her hips. "It was fun to plan. Since my nuptials were a big hoax, I'm putting all my backed-up wedding enthusiasm into Gen's. Do you like the peacocks? They're from an animal conservation farm and very well cared for. The swans were too nervous to be around large crowds, but these do quite well."
Ken wondered if she had heard wrong. Kate looked just as surprised.
"Love them. Umm, wedding hoax?" Ken asked.
Gen's sister waved her hand in the air in dismissal. "Not important. It ended up becoming real. I need to find the guest of honor. We spent only a minute together before she disappeared."
Kennedy spoke up. "I'm sure she's meeting so many people, also from David's side. Engagement parties are a lot of work."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Mom and Dad are fawning all over David's parents. He may trump Nick in the son-in-law department, which pisses him off." Her gaze narrowed on something across the lawn. "Why is Maria barefoot and muddy?"
"Because she and my son were chasing peacocks and fell in the mud pit. Hey, girls."
Alexa's best friend and Gen's surrogate aunt, Maggie Conte, joined the group. She wore a daring black cat suit that even Versace's models couldn't pull off. Her cinnamon hair was chopped off at a sharp angle at her chin, and she symbolized chic and fabulous. She had always been one of Kennedy's role models, and was always free with her fashion advice. They exchanged brief hugs.
"Did you bring your yummy men?" Maggie asked. "And why is no one drinking yet?"
Ken laughed. "We got waylaid on the way to the champagne fountain. And I'm solo today."
Maggie crinkled her nose. "Pity. Your dates are usually drool worthy. Has anyone seen Gen? David's looking for her."
Alexa frowned. "She's MIA again. She's so stressed out with her work schedule, I keep telling her to slow down."
"Guess it's the reputation of brilliant surgeons in training. Ken and I were trying to have a talk with her this week, but she kept canceling on us. Is Izzy coming?" Kate asked.
Maggie and Alexa shared a look. "Don't know. It'll be a surprise." Gen's twin was on the outs with the family. Izzy had isolated herself from the MacKenzie clan and driven a wedge between the tight-knit group. A variety of factors was cited as the cause. Drugs. Heavy partying. Abusive men. No one knew for sure what kept her away. Ken wondered if that was another stressor to Gen. She'd ended up picking Kate as her maid of honor, so maybe there was some backlash from Izzy.
"What will be a surprise?" a voice interrupted.
Maggie's sister-in-law, Carina, joined the group. She held a baby under one arm and a drink in the other. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulders in a mass of silky waves. Almond-shaped eyes lit up with an energy and zest no first-time mother with a newborn should possess. Immediately, everyone began cooing and babbling to the baby.
"Gen's twin, Izzy. We're not sure if she's coming or not. Babe, your boobs are huge! Maximus must be one very happy boy," Maggie said.
"Which one? The father or son?" Alexa piped up.
They burst into laughter. Max Jr. was wrapped in a crocheted blue blanket, with one of those tiny knit caps stretched over his head. Dark hair peeked out from underneath, and his sleepy eyes rolled open to check on them, then slid back to slumber. Kennedy itched to bury her nose in his powder-scented skin and cuddle forever. "Hey, I get to have one drink while I'm nursing, right?" Carina asked. "And don't say no, because I already drank it."
"One glass of champagne is fine, sweetie. How are you holding up?" Maggie asked.
Carina rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Max is a wreck, though. The first few days we were home I caught him just staring at the baby with this wondrous expression on his face."
"Aww, that's so sweet," Kate sighed.
Carina raised a brow. "Yeah, but that's all he did. Refused to change his diaper or dress him or bathe him. He was afraid he'd break something of the baby's. Probably his penis. So I did all the work."
Kennedy winced. "That would drive me nuts. What did you do?"
Maggie and Carina shared a wicked glance. "I left."
"What? You left your husband?" Kate asked.
"Just for the day. Told him Maggie was taking me out to the spa for a massage and a mani-pedi. He freaked out, begged me not to go, but I told him it's time they get to know each other."
Maggie grinned with pride. "Trust me, there's nothing like bonding over a poopy diaper. And it worked."
"Yep. When I got back that evening, he was rocking him to sleep, and Max Jr. had on a clean diaper and onesie. Sometimes you gotta throw the husbands in the deep end and make 'em swim."
Alexa laughed. "You two rock. Nick once told me to hold Lily while he got something, and he actually left the house. In his car. Let's just say he paid dearly for that move."
Kennedy laughed. God, she loved this group of women. Strong, sassy, family oriented. They were everything she w
anted to be when she finally settled down. One day.
Maybe.
The thought of the man she had shared her most intimate secrets with, taken deep into her body, and refused to acknowledge this entire week haunted her. She missed him. Missed Zumba, and golf, and the sex, God, the sex. She missed the way he spilled stains on his shirt and studied her with all that gorgeous concentration.
But she had to save him.
From herself.
Siccing Mary on him was rattlesnake mean, but she had no choice. By pushing another woman into his arms, she was confirming everything he suspected about her. She could never be the mate he needed and deserved. Eventually, her crappy issues would rear their ugly heads. She'd find something wrong with one of them and break his heart. Better to free him up now. Mary would help him forget.
She pushed the image of Nate firmly from her mind and refocused.
"Why don't we split up and see if we can find Gen?" Kate suggested.
They all agreed. Kennedy filled her glass with champagne and headed inside the house to search. She chatted briefly with Gen's parents, met David's parents, grabbed some celery sticks from the veggie tray and nibbled. She thought she might faint if she caught sight of the steak, so she made a battle plan to stay outside where the air neutralized all those wonderful scents.
The main floor held no missing bride-to-be, so she headed to the second level. The massive open staircase was an architectural dream, with a six-tier glittering chandelier in a rich bronze gold as the main focus. She popped her head into a few rooms, but everyone was outside or on the first level, so she doubted she'd find anyone. She was just about to turn around when a soft creak reached her ears.
She pushed open the door. It was Lily's room. Decorated in happy, bright yellow, a beautiful lace coverlet lay upon the canopy bed, and a huge assortment of dolls and stuffed animals were displayed in every corner. The arched bay windows were open, and the breeze drifted in, filling the room with sounds of laughter from outside and delicious smells from the party.
Gen was perched in the white rocker, staring out the window.
"Uh, Gen?"
She popped up. Surprise skittered over her face, quickly followed by a complete shutdown of emotion. Ken stared at her friend, her gut screaming at high pitch that something was very, very wrong. "Oh, my God. I'm sorry, Ken. I didn't hear you!" Her laugh was forced, and she twisted her engagement ring round and around her finger. Ken noticed the spot was rubbed raw around the band and up to her knuckle. She was dressed impeccably, her vanilla cream blouse and long cream skirt giving her an air of mystical innocence. Her dark hair was caught up in a fancy twist, and diamond studs glittered in her ears. Her eyes, so like Alexa's, were piercing blue. She emanated a nervous, jumpy energy that bordered more on fear than excitement.
